Fernando Trueba, the man who brought us the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque, does NOT deliver the goods in his latest film, the Girl of Your Dreams.
This movie, a carbon copy of so many others, tells the story of a group of actors/dancers from Spain, who come to Occupied Germany in the late 30's to make a 'propaganda' film. (Of course, what else was Germany putting out back then?)
Naturally, you can predict the rest of this story. The group is ignorant to the Nazi atrocities, and as they slowly discover what's happening, they cannot help but be affected by it. Yes, it's the same old story, told so many times before, and in much better films.
The story is sometimes comical, or at least it attempts to be. There is a series of cliche events that are simply not funny. A homosexual actor makes advances at Spain's leading man. The Nazi's are gun-toting buffoons (a la Hogan's Hero's). And the women are bitchy to the point of being just plain silly.
There is little redeeming about this film. I did like the set design for some of the scenes. The colors were great. But this stuff has all been done before. Scenes are literally stolen from other 'great' films. You will see Casablanca and To Be or Not to Be in several scenes.
Penelope Cruz offered the most energy in this picture. It is her character that first comes to terms with what is going on around her. The problem is, the character is not smart enough for me believe it. Sorry Fernando ... but The Girl of Your Dreams is a forgettable nightmare.
This movie, a carbon copy of so many others, tells the story of a group of actors/dancers from Spain, who come to Occupied Germany in the late 30's to make a 'propaganda' film. (Of course, what else was Germany putting out back then?)
Naturally, you can predict the rest of this story. The group is ignorant to the Nazi atrocities, and as they slowly discover what's happening, they cannot help but be affected by it. Yes, it's the same old story, told so many times before, and in much better films.
The story is sometimes comical, or at least it attempts to be. There is a series of cliche events that are simply not funny. A homosexual actor makes advances at Spain's leading man. The Nazi's are gun-toting buffoons (a la Hogan's Hero's). And the women are bitchy to the point of being just plain silly.
There is little redeeming about this film. I did like the set design for some of the scenes. The colors were great. But this stuff has all been done before. Scenes are literally stolen from other 'great' films. You will see Casablanca and To Be or Not to Be in several scenes.
Penelope Cruz offered the most energy in this picture. It is her character that first comes to terms with what is going on around her. The problem is, the character is not smart enough for me believe it. Sorry Fernando ... but The Girl of Your Dreams is a forgettable nightmare.